Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Scholastic Inc. (PUSH)
Pages
280
Description
This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities -- freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she reveled in the independence . . . but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
280 p.; 7 inches
ISBN
9780439805193
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User reviews
LibraryThing member krugerskalss
This book is a sad and true account of a girl's struggle with Anxiety Disorder. It is a very good book, and almost painful to understand what Samantha goes through.
LibraryThing member 4sarad
I Don’t Want to Be Crazy is Samantha Schutz’s true account of her college years as she dealt with her anxiety disorder. The book lets you delve into her world and experience first hand what a panic attack feels like and how terrified you can become of having another. This is an eye-opening book
I thought this book was well written, but it does not have enough of a plot or story to keep teens interested unless they or someone they know has an anxiety disorder. The book covers four years of Samantha’s life and is less than 300 pages long, so there are constant leaps in time which can be confusing. There are also too many friends and boys mentioned to easily keep track of. Overall it is a good book, but it has a somewhat limited audience.
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and is written in easy to read verse formatting.I thought this book was well written, but it does not have enough of a plot or story to keep teens interested unless they or someone they know has an anxiety disorder. The book covers four years of Samantha’s life and is less than 300 pages long, so there are constant leaps in time which can be confusing. There are also too many friends and boys mentioned to easily keep track of. Overall it is a good book, but it has a somewhat limited audience.
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LibraryThing member Crowyhead
When Samantha Schutz started college, she began to have frightening episodes for which she had no explanation. She would become fearful, particularly during class, have difficulty breathing, experience heart palpitations, and sometimes pass out. Every episode made things worse: fear of having an
This is a frank, heartfelt memoir, told in free verse, that describes Schutz's college years and her struggle with anxiety and panic. I was dubious about the poetry format -- who wants to read someone else's poetry about their depression and anxiety? -- but it actually works really, really well. Schutz is able to capture moments and episodes in her life with wrenching clarity, and out of the short poems a complete portrait emerges. I think this is a particularly important book because there are so many memoirs of depression, and comparatively few that describe what it is like to live with unending anxiety. This was published as a YA book, but I would recommend it to just about anyone.
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attack could trigger an attack. Eventually, Schutz learned that she was having panic attacks, and she suffered from panic disorder.This is a frank, heartfelt memoir, told in free verse, that describes Schutz's college years and her struggle with anxiety and panic. I was dubious about the poetry format -- who wants to read someone else's poetry about their depression and anxiety? -- but it actually works really, really well. Schutz is able to capture moments and episodes in her life with wrenching clarity, and out of the short poems a complete portrait emerges. I think this is a particularly important book because there are so many memoirs of depression, and comparatively few that describe what it is like to live with unending anxiety. This was published as a YA book, but I would recommend it to just about anyone.
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LibraryThing member GaylDasherSmith
A bit too long, but a very good examination of the stress of leaving home for college and what anxiety disorder looks like from the inside. Told in free verse, which is interesting.
LibraryThing member lbass
Freshman girl has anxiety disorder and goest to college.
LibraryThing member edspicer
It's like a Hopkins book. It has a lot of drama. I saw it was like Ellen Hopkins' books and I thought it'd be good. It wasn't as good as I thought though. AHS/SM
LibraryThing member ChristineOC
Samantha Schutz shares her thoughts, phobias, and day to day struggles in this poetic memoir of her painful realization that she has anxiety disorder. She has been given everything she needs to become successful in life from her parents, but, something they cannot give her is peace of mind when she
Like it has been ripped out of her personal journal, I Don’t Want to be Crazy will keep readers interested through the daily account of Samantha’s life while she tries to come to terms with a hidden disease. This memoir deals with a teen’s life from high school through college graduation and beyond. Many YA’s think they are the only ones living with anxiety disorder, when actually an estimated 13% of the U.S. adult population suffers for this disease. While living through this with my husband shortly after he graduated from college, Schut’z memoirs are very similar to what we were fighting several years ago. This book can certainly help anyone going through this.
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begins having panic attacks at the age of 17. She lets the reader into her most secret and personal thoughts and feelings while she tries to cope with the internal conflict between her mind and body. With more and more pressure being placed on teens today regarding grades, schools, and acceptance, I Don’t Want to be Crazy is a must read for all high school and college students. Like it has been ripped out of her personal journal, I Don’t Want to be Crazy will keep readers interested through the daily account of Samantha’s life while she tries to come to terms with a hidden disease. This memoir deals with a teen’s life from high school through college graduation and beyond. Many YA’s think they are the only ones living with anxiety disorder, when actually an estimated 13% of the U.S. adult population suffers for this disease. While living through this with my husband shortly after he graduated from college, Schut’z memoirs are very similar to what we were fighting several years ago. This book can certainly help anyone going through this.
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LibraryThing member llpollac
When Samantha leaves for college, she expects to find independence from the strict rules of her parents house, not to face increasingly debilitating panic attacks. This memoir is a good look at the challenges of living with panic disorder. Told in free verse, Samantha describes all aspects of her
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experience, from how a panic attack feels to the types of medications that she tries to dealing with the other challenges of college life on top of a mental illness. The verse splits the narrative up into shorter lines, which may make it a good choice for reluctant readers, but otherwise does not add much to the work. Characters also remain underdeveloped, and readers looking for a detailed account of life in college will be disappointed, as Samantha compresses all four years of college and her first year post-college into a 280 page volume. A list of resources for those dealing with anxiety and panic disorder is provided at the end of the volume. Recommended for high schoolers and older, especially those who know someone with mental illness. Show Less
Awards
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2007)
Call number
YA A Sch